Pope Joan

By: Donna Woolfolk Cross

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die - Pope Joan, the ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter.

Now in this riveting novel, Donna Woolfolk Cross paints a sweeping portrait of an unforgettable heroine who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.

Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn. When her brother is brutally killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak - and his identity - and enters the monastery of Fulda. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great scholar and healer. Eventually, she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics.

Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest office in Christendom - wielding a power greater than any woman before or since. But such power always comes at a price....

©1996 , 2009 Donna Woolfolk Cross (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Whether or not one believes in Joan as Pope, this is a compelling story, filled with all kinds of lore: the brutishness of the Dark Ages, Vatican intrigue, politics and favoritism and most of all, the place of women in the Church and in the world." (Amazon.com review)
"In this colorful, richly imagined novel, Cross ably inspires a suspension of disbelief, pulling off the improbable feat of writing a romance starring a pregnant pope." ( Publishers Weekly)

Hard back, audio or video

i first read this book when it came out and was so excited, i had to get it to a catholic friend of mine. the only thing missing from the audio was after the close of the book where the author disclosed where she got the idea and showed a picture of the chair with the hole in it that appeared after pope joan died. recently there was a release of the movie on reels tv. something seemed amiss and i wanted to check it out. as it was available here (and i do so love to listen to books), I used one of my credits on it. Why? Because I love audio books that don't take up space in my house.

now if i've purchased a book twice and watch the movie version as well, this has to be a book that i found well above average. i think you will as well enjoy this woman's journey. you might even find you have to invite your best friend over so you can listen to again as you share it.

Powerful! Great Historical Fiction!

I was recommended this title by my family. This is why I love historical fiction! So much research was done by the author who pays attention to detail. We follow the life of Joan from birth to Papacy. I appreciated the note from author at the end sharing her thoughts with the reader.

From very early on, Joan knew she was different. She didn't know why, but she knew she must follow her passion for learning. Author Donna Woolfolk Cross, takes us on an amazing journey into the inner walls of the early church in 830 A.D. She doesn't sugar-coat anything. The tapestry she weaves of Joan's life is breathtaking, heartbreaking and amazing.

Award-winning narrator Barbara Rosenblat never disappoints. She skillfully performs this title with grace. She is a joy to the ears. I look forward to listening to this title again and again.

Historical mystery

Id never heard of Pope Joan and found the story intriguing. Well written and entertaining, plus informative.

Medtechgma1

I really enjoyed this historical fiction based on a whole lot of fact. The dark ages was such an interesting time to live. It was so difficult for women and all people of all ages, but particularly women. I found it enlightening as to the difficulties experienced In the Catholic Church. It best to keep Church and state separate.

Some parts were great, others not so much

The historical truth of a woman pope in the 9th century is far from universally accepted, even though the author may truly believe the events she describes based on her research. But in any case that is not the real point of the story. The main theme of the story is the struggle of women down through the ages to be allowed the same chance at a respected position in society which men have enjoyed since time immemorial. The fact that the Roman Catholic Corporation, 1200 years on, still has an all male hierarchy, and prevents its clerics from marrying is to say the least incredible. I am left puzzling over why women still participate in the church at all since, without the free work women do in the church and in raising their children in the church, it would collapse. For Joan, the answer is more understandable, since the church was one of the few ways someone outside of the aristocracy could rise in the world or become educated. Still, the total exclusion of women in this institution meant that to be educated one had to pretend to be a man.

The way the author shows the hypocrisy and misogyny in the early Roman Catholic church is the best part of this book. In addition, there is no attempt to hide from the reader the corruption driving most if not all members of the church hierarchy in order to win for themselves more temporal power within the church and therefore within society. The implication is that little has changed in such a tradition bound institution. The description of the daily life of the people of the time is very well done and lots of information is woven smoothly into the story line. However, the imagined romance between Gerald and Joan is really not believable and distracts from the story. The fanciful notion that a handsome, brave, and powerful member of the aristocracy would be smitten by a young woman in his charge because she was very intelligent and also very kind is pretty far fetched and completely unnecessary to the overall story.

The idea that a woman could pass herself off as a man regardless of the date is also somewhat of a stretch. How does one explain away the need to shave one's face? Nevertheless, Joan's motivation is clear. In fact as we see everywhere today, things have only marginally improved. Certainly there has been no table turning in the balance of power between the sexes. What is wonderful about young women today is their demand for the same kind of freedom which men have always enjoyed. What women of the the baby boomer generation thought of as common sense behavior, young women today see as impinging on their freedom to live their lives without harassment or mistreatment by the men they encounter. These are a few of the reflections I had when reading this book. It is definitely worth a credit!

Great historical fiction

Fabulous reader, fabulous story, kept me entertained, and it was educational of the time period. Was grateful for the authors addition at the end as well! The legend/history of a female pope was new to me. Very intriguing and inspiring.

I enjoyed the book. Couldn’t put it down

I appreciated the meticulous research on cultural, secular, religious, papal history. Nice job!
I particularly enjoyed the authors comments on the end. The characters were maybe a little simplistic thought? The good guys were 100% good and the bad guys were 100% bad.

Enlightening!

One of the most enlightening and educational historical novels I have ever heard! The details of the experiences of Pope Joan are absolutely extraordinary! It is a must-read for all history buffs.

Interesting

The myth or truth of Pope Joan makes for a fascinating framework for a work of historical fiction - found the narration wanting

Enthralling history

Well-researched and we’ll-written, the story’s premise is plausible. The narrator’s voice was a bit distracting, unfortunately. Nevertheless, a thoroughly engrossing tale.